Officials from Sasol, Friends of the Environment Centre, and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education after announcing the Qatar e-Nature Schools Competition 2016. PICTURE: Thajudheen

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Doha

In its third year, the Qatar e-Nature Schools Contest, organised by Sasol and Friends of the Environment Centre (FEC) and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, is to take a new direction.
Students will be able to compete in a live quiz show-style competition that will crown champions and a winning school. The competition is based on the information provided in the Qatar e-Nature smartphone application and website, in order to increase awareness about the diversity of Qatar’s natural habitat.
The 2016 competition will introduce the new element of a real-time quiz contest in front of a live audience, in which teams answer questions in order to gain points. Winning teams in the early rounds will go on to compete in the finals in May.
New questions added to this year’s contest, include the newly-added nature reserves of Qatar, in addition to the birds, insects, mammals, reptiles and flora categories. The Qatar e-Nature application and website have been redesigned, making it more user-friendly.
Rima Abu Khadija, director, Office of Curricula Standards at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, said Qatar is the leading Gulf country in the field of education, and also committed to the preservation of natural habitat and the environment.
“The Qatar e-Nature live quiz contest will allow students to actively learn about Qatar’s beautiful and diverse wildlife; furthermore, it will be the perfect platform that will challenge our young participants to showcase their abilities and further enhance their skills and knowledge.”
Frahood al-Hajiri, director, Friends of the Environment Centre, said Qatar e-Nature, has managed to further elevate the awareness about the different aspects of Qatar’s rich nature.
The application has won a number of prestigious accolades in Qatar and around the region with the support of Dr Saif al-Hajari, head of A Flower Each Spring, one of the originators of the concept of Qatar e-Nature. His role has enriched the application with various information about the diversity of wildlife in Qatar.
Phinda Vilakazi, president, Sasol GTL Ventures, said: “Over the past two years, the Qatar e-Nature Schools Contest has been organised with the support of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, engaging over 350 schools and 250,000 students across Qatar. This year we decided to adopt a new approach that will bring Qatar e-Nature, the digital application, to life in a unique and interactive setting.”